Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 83

Lee Han stared at the jagged hole in the wall. Bits of stone and wood were scattered everywhere. He clicked his tongue, shaking his head. “Not good,” he muttered. He turned to a student with messy brown hair. “Wodanaz,” Lee Han asked, “didn’t you check if this wall was safe before we started?”

Wodanaz sighed, looking hurt. “Sometimes,” he mumbled, “I really wonder what you all think of me.”

“What happened?” Nilia asked, peering through the hole.

Lee Han pointed. “The broken pieces are inside the Herb Conservatory. And look,” he added, “they came from outside. Something big broke in from over there.”

If a creature raised by Professor Uregeoreum had broken out from inside, it wouldn’t be a big deal. But looking at the damage, it was clear a large monster had come in from outside.

Ratford stared at Lee Han, looking slightly impressed. “You really are good at figuring things out, like a master thief.”

Ratford stared at Lee Han, looking impressed. “You really are good at figuring things out, like a master thief.” Another student, puffing out his chest, said, “Well, I can figure things out too, Ratford!”

The Blue Dragon Tower students showed a strange sense of competition.

Even if they weren’t the best in class or with magic, they didn’t want to be seen as worse at being ‘thieves’.

Nilia looked confused, wondering why they were acting like that.

“Why are they like that?”

Yoner chuckled. “It’s silly, isn’t it? But yes, nobles in the Empire grow up reading stories about brave thieves who outsmart everyone. They probably want to be seen as clever and resourceful, even if they are just sneaking around.”

Nilia thought it was ridiculous. ‘Do the nobles of the Empire really grow up reading such silly fairy tales?’

“Are there no hunters in the stories?”

“Uh… there might be fairy tales about thief hunters, but…”

While his friends talked, Lee Han, having decided what to do, opened the door to the Herb Conservatory.

“Everyone, listen up. From now on, we are not sneaking into the Herb Conservatory.”

“What?”

“Huh?”

Not sneaking in?

Then what were they doing? Were they going to write ‘Blue Dragon Tower students were here’ on the wall with paint?

“We are a group that has come together to stop the summoned creature that has broken into the Herb Conservatory and to protect the professor’s precious plants.”

“…Ah. Okay!”

“Yes…!”

The summoned creature’s break-in wasn’t all bad.

They could blame the summoned creature if things went wrong later.

Of course, it was questionable whether that would work on Professor Uregeoreum.

With their plan decided, Lee Han took a deep breath and prepared to enter. “Light, be,” he whispered, summoning a sphere of light.

The dark first floor of the Herb Conservatory lit up brightly.

There were greenhouses and classrooms along the corridor.

Students who had wandered around the magic school at night would know that it was completely different from the daytime.

Classrooms looked normal in the daytime. But at night, they felt different. It was like they could hide monsters.

Even the plants in the greenhouse seemed changed. During the day, they loved the sun. Now, in the dark, they seemed to be waiting to attack.

‘It wouldn’t be strange if Professor Uregeoreum actually prepared such plants,’ Lee Han thought.

At least the first floor was familiar to all the students, but the second floor was unknown.

What could be up there?

As they climbed the stairs from the first floor to the second, they felt a strong magical power.

Magic power filled the space itself.

They climbed the stairs, and suddenly, the hallway opened into a huge space. It was like stepping into a giant garden, much bigger than the floor below! ‘Wow,’ Yoner whispered, ‘it’s like the space has been made bigger with magic!’

The students were amazed by the sight of strange plants they didn’t even know the names of, hanging and growing everywhere.

Siana the Priestess said in surprise, “It is said that a good alchemist must be someone who grows plants well. Still, this is amazing…”

Since alchemists had to gather materials themselves, they naturally had to grow what they could.

But even considering that, the size of the garden was truly impressive.

“Wow. What is this plant called?” Gainando asked, pointing to a flower shining with all the colors of the rainbow.

It swayed gently in the soft moonlight coming through the window, making it look beautiful.

Lee Han answered kindly, “That flower is a Nephelops.”

“Ooh. What does it do?”

“It swallows any animal that touches its petals whole.”

Gainando stepped back in fear.

“But the honey from that flower sells for a lot of money…”

“Right now? Is that what you’re worried about?!”

“I was just answering because you asked.”

Lee Han replied and looked around.

Lee Han knew far fewer things than he didn’t. The same was true for Yoner and Siana the Priestess.

‘But…’ Lee Han thought.

The Herb Conservatory wasn’t a dormitory tower. Since it was Professor Uregeoreum’s workshop, there couldn’t be that many traps.

Professor Uregeoreum would have to walk around himself, after all…

Lee Han calmly looked for a path. There had to be a path that Professor Uregeoreum used when walking around this botanical garden.

Suddenly, a rattling sound came from Lee Han’s belt. It was the bone summon, shaking and pointing.

The bone summon pointed in a direction, telling him to look over there. Surprisingly, there were fresh footprints on the mud. They looked like they had been made by a monster.

‘I see. The monster passed by first!’ Lee Han thought.

It was clear that the monster that had broken in had found the path that Professor Uregeoreum used to walk.

Lee Han was about to praise the bone summon.

Nilia whispered in an excited voice. “Wodanaz, I’ve had a great idea. Looking at the footprints here, it’s clear that the monster that came in first has passed by! That means this path is a safe path.”

Lee Han paused, pretending to think for a moment, and then opened his mouth.

“…Nilia, you know what? You’re right! That’s brilliant!”

The bone summon rattled loudly!

“As expected of someone from the Shadow Patrol? You’re really amazing. I’m so glad you came. I shudder to think what would have happened without you.”

“It’s nothing.”

Nilia tried to look like it was nothing, but a small smile played on her lips, and she stood a little taller. Her long ears twitched with pride.

“Okay. I’ll find the way. Tell everyone to follow me.”

“Okay, okay.”

Lee Han sent Nilia ahead and let out a sigh of relief.

The bone summon rattled even louder!

Lee Han apologized to the bone summon’s protesting appearance. “I’m sorry. Friendship is more difficult than you think.”

The bone summon flicked its fingers as if it was hard to understand.

Moving along the footprints of the monster that came in first was working better than he’d expected.

The students walked carefully through the botanical garden path. Luckily, Professor Thunderfoot had not put any traps here.

“Thank you, Professor,” Lee Han said, relieved that the path was easy.

Their relief didn’t last long.

The three-story staircase was at the far end of the botanical garden. When Lee Han saw the monster in front of the stairs, his face became serious.

“That’s a bull… right?”

“Yes. It doesn’t seem like an ordinary bull.”

The bull was not ordinary. It had smashed through the main gate on the first floor. It had also trampled plants on the second floor. Its horns were covered in broken pieces, vines, and leaves.

Lee Han remembered the bull Professor Thunderfoot had mentioned before.

‘Huh?’

He had thought the spirit bull Professor Inglewood captured was that bull. But this bull looked more like the one Professor Thunderfoot described.

This bull didn’t seem to have any spirit mixed in. Its physical abilities were just enhanced with potions.

Lee Han wondered, “Was the spirit bull just summoned by older students?” He felt a little ashamed. He had complained about Professor Thunderfoot after seeing the spirit bull, thinking it was Thunderfoot’s fault.

‘No. Now that I think about it, there’s nothing to feel sorry about.’

Looking at the bull again, his apology disappeared. He had left a dangerous bull like that in the mountains?

“What are we going to do?”

“Do we have to fight it?”

He remembered what he learned from the spirit bull. You don’t always have to fight and hurt an enemy to stop them!

This botanical garden wasn’t a good place to fight, and they hadn’t come to stop the bull. Besides, the bull didn’t seem very interested in them. It was eating something in front of the stairs.

“If that’s the bull Professor Thunderfoot was raising… is it just here because it’s hungry?”

Yoner’s idea made sense. If it was Thunderfoot’s bull, it would know the way around here. It was unlikely a normal monster would find its way here without destroying things on the first floor.

“Then, if we leave it alone, will it eat and leave?”

“Probably.”

The students were relieved that they didn’t have to fight. This bull looked even more dangerous and wild than the spirit bull. It was much bigger.

“…Uh… Lee Han…?”

Yoner grabbed Lee Han’s sleeve and spoke nervously.

“…Is that… really okay?”

The bull ignored the students and bit off a piece of a plant. It chewed it a few times, then spat it out, looking disgusted. Then it chewed on another plant, and another, and stomped on a few with its hooves…

The bull started destroying the plants faster, as if it was fun.

Yoner and Siana, the plant experts, turned pale. Their hearts ached even though they weren’t their plants. Lee Han’s face also changed.

It was normal for students to take a few potions. But it was terrible for a monster to destroy all the plants in the botanical garden. If the bull destroyed the plants, and the students were there, Professor Thunderfoot might blame them.

“We have to stop it!” Lee Han cast a spell. “Feet, wrinkle the earth!” Then he ran forward.

Then, he sent a curse spell at the bull.

“Be paralyzed!”

The magic took shape like a wave and flew towards the bull. But the bull sensed the danger and dodged the curse.

“Why are we stopping it?”

“Because it’s the right thing to do! I’ll help!”

The Blue Dragon Tower friends misunderstood Lee Han’s plan. They grabbed their wands and charged.

“Flame of Authority…”

Gainan Do started to say the spell. Lee Han was horrified and slapped his mouth.

Smack!

“?!!”

“No fire!” Lee Han shouted. “We’re surrounded by plants! Fire will burn everything!”

“Kugh… Be paralyzed!”

“Be paralyzed!!”

The friends cast the paralysis curse they had learned in class. If they used the wrong element, they could burn the whole area.

The bull didn’t dodge their curses, unlike Lee Han’s. Even when the curses hit it, the bull was not bothered.

“What did Professor Thunderfoot feed it?!”

The students screamed. The bull was stronger than they thought.

“Go and distract it!”

Lee Han summoned a bone and then started to summon water orbs. The bull didn’t care about the other students waving their wands, but it watched Lee Han carefully.

‘I shouldn’t have cast a curse so quickly!’

It wasn’t easy to hit a monster with sharp instincts with a curse spell. Things had gone wrong because he had cast a curse for nothing and made it careful.

Lee Han started throwing water orbs one after another. The bull dodged them, but Lee Han didn’t panic.

‘First, lure it away from the plants.’

He had been attacking to separate the bull from the plants from the beginning.

“Everyone, take these weakening potions!”

Siana the Priestess took out potion flasks and handed them over. The students threw them quickly. The potion hit the bull with a shattering sound, and it staggered. Yoner realized its magic resistance was weaker and shouted.

“Everyone, curse it again!”

“Be paralyzed, be paralyzed!”

“Be paralyzed!”

The bull shook its head, annoyed. It could feel the curse affecting it because it had been weakened.

Lee Han made water orbs explode around the bull, moving them in different directions. The bull flinched and stopped moving. And Lee Han’s curse came out.

‘Faster!’

He wanted to cast the spell faster than before, so Lee Han’s spell was even faster. He was so focused on casting the spell quickly that it happened faster than he expected. He didn’t even realize he hadn’t finished saying all the words.

Thud!

The bull couldn’t handle Lee Han’s curse and knelt down. The students all breathed out, as if they had planned it.

“What’s going on here?”

A tall tree was walking among the plants.

Lee Han answered right away.

“We were protecting Professor Thunderfoot’s plants.”

“…That’s right! A strange bull was eating the plants…!”